Both Their Children
by Abboz
Summary: Set pre-SwitchVerse. Having had a few hours rest after giving birth to Tony, Jackie sits with her family, talking about when Rose was born, feeling lucky to have had such quick and easy births with Pete by her side and to have such a loving family.


"Jacks." Pete smiled, stringing out her name as he walked over to her, two mugs of tea in hand. He put the mugs on the bedside table, ensuring they were out of reach so she couldn't knock them. "Thought I told you not to move." He pressed a kiss to her and Tony's foreheads, sitting on the bed beside her.

She carefully shifted the baby in her arms, smiling at Pete. "Stop fussing, I'm fine!'

"You've just had a baby, sweetheart, so yes I'm going to fuss over you. I want to make sure you're both alright."

"And we are, because our beautiful boy has the most incredible dad." She slipped an arm round his neck to kiss him, leaning her forehead against his. "Thank you. I know I didn't say before but you really were amazing, I couldn't have done it without you."

"I dunno, I think Rose played her part too, and you really don't give yourself enough credit."

"Still thank you." She pulled him in for a kiss. "Told you I picked the most wonderful man in the Universe."

"Oh shh." He pressed a kiss to the bridge of her nose, making a point of moving her round so she was sat properly in bed, the duvet over her legs. "As long as you're alright, and Tony too." He gently touched his son's nose and cheek, smiling as he opened his big blue eyes. "Hey, Little Mite." He rubbed the baby's palm, grinning as he tried to hold onto his finger.

Jackie smiled, watching Pete in complete adoration, loving how entirely enchanted he was; he'd been the most loving father from the moment they'd believed she was expecting him. "He's beautiful isn't he?"

"Didn't I tell you that first?" He smiled. "He is. So beautiful, I can hardly believe Rose was this tiny once."

"I know." She held him out to Pete, grinning as he happily took Tony from her, cuddling him so his head was rested against his chest. "But we are, alright I mean, we're doing well, especially since he was as much of an angel as Rose was, letting me sleep for a couple of hours." She lightly stroked the child's cheek, leaning closer to give him a kiss.

"Yeah I hope he'll be as good as Rose was at night, he's already taking after her." He smiled, gently kissing the top of his head. "Our children really didn't want to be born in hospital, did they? Or with a midwife there."

She picked up her tea, taking a sip before setting it back down. "No, lucky I had you, mind you I'm pretty sure with Rose it..." She looked up at the doorway, grinning at Rose. "Hi, sweetheart, we were just talking about you, come and sit down."

"You're awake." She grinned. "Came back earlier and you were asleep, he was far too distracted by you both to notice." She took the camera from the top of the dressing table. "Thought I could take some photos; need some for his baby book." She pointed at the aforementioned book that she was holding. "There's other things to fill in too." She sat cross legged on the free side of the bed, opening the book in her lap. "Like here, how much he weighed, six pounds three ounces, right, Dad?" She looked up at Pete to see him grinning and quickly closed the book, putting it down on the bed. "Sorry, I know I'm getting ahead myself, you can do that later. I still want to take some photos though."

"Now?" Jackie was smiling too. "But I look dreadful."

"Yes now." Rose nodded. "Stop it, you look beautiful, you're glowing."

Pete handed Tony back to his wife, moving to sit beside her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She grinned, turning to kiss him and pulling away as she heard the camera click. "Rose."

"Sorry." She laughed a little, actually not regretting it at all. "Smile then, I'll just take a few then I'll stop I promise."

They did as she asked, happily posing for the camera until Pete noticed Tony becoming restless. "I think that's enough." He watched as Jackie shifted him in her arms, settling him where he could hear her heartbeat.

"Rose sweetheart." She looked from her son to her daughter. "You were brilliant by the way, thank you."

"You're welcome, you know I love you, Mum, all three of you, you think I wasn't going to do everything I could to help? We were prepared for it anyway, we knew this beautiful little one would be impatient."

She smiled. "Just like you, we were just talking about that, how apparantly neither of you wanted to be born in hospital, or with a midwife there, although I do think with you that was largely down to your dad."

"Hey!" He looked at her. "How was that my fault?"

"Let me see, the car being in the garage for a start."

"It _broke down_ that wasn't my fault, excuse me for needing to drive to work, and I kept telling them to get it fixed 'cause our baby was due, I did everything I could. Besides she came far too quickly for me to take you anywhere."

Jackie smiled. "What about the phone then? We could have called a midwife."

"I paid that bill!" He shook his head slightly. "The line was there, _you_ broke the phone. She wouldn't have got there in time anyway."

"Alright, I'll let you off with that one but what about the neighbours?"

"What have the neighbours got to do with it?!"

She laughed. "Nothing."

"You should just be glad I stuck around that week, wanting to make sure I was around when you went into labour."

"And I am, I'm only teasing you."

"I mean don't get me wrong I was terrified but I was not letting anything happen to you or Rose."

"And you were as brilliant as you were this time, probably even more so given that she was our first and it was just the two of us."

Rose grinned. "Was it really that bad?"

"No." Jackie's smile softened and she pressed a kiss to Tony's head. "Sure scary at first but not _bad_. You want to hold him?" Rose nodded, taking the baby boy from her. "I'm not saying it was painless, it wasn't, just like with Tony it ached and the contractions hurt but it was so much easier than I thought it would be."

"Yeah?" Rose watched Tony wriggle in her arms, smiling as he relaxed and his eyes drifted shut.

"Maybe I'm just lucky but I expected it to be worse, so much more painful than it was, and maybe your dad has magic fingers but the pain just went away once I got to push." She smiled, slightly reeling from the fact she was looking at both their children when not so long ago she had never imagined that she would have a second child, but then Pete had walked back into her life. "I know I've been lucky, you were both quick and easy births, no complications and I had your dad with me knowing exactly what to do to help."

"You know what was worst for me?" Pete interrupted her, waiting for her to look at him.

"What?"

"That what you struggled with, both times, wasn't it hurting but you not believing you could do it. I know a lot of men hate seeing their wives in so much pain but I could see you were okay with what pain there was, seeing you doubt yourself though, what's with that? Why would you think you couldn't do it? I mean, Jackie, maybe I could understand that with Rose, but today? You'd already done it once before, you knew you could do it, you're strong and healthy enough and certainly have the willpower." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Don't you doubt yourself. Never doubt that you're a great mum or that you're good enough to deserve them or me or anything."

She smiled, tears in her eyes. "Pete." She leant into him, letting him cuddle her as she looked back at Rose. "See what I mean? But really as much as we were terrified for that first moment when we knew it would just be us, together it was easy, _blissful_, it shouldn't have been but it was and I don't remember it as painful, same with Tony today, I remember it as one of the best days of my life, just like today and the day I married your dad. You three are just my entire world, the best things to ever happen to me. I love you."


End file.
